


Sambhaavyata

by MelittaGannicus



Category: Mahabharata - Vyasa, Star Plus's Mahabharat, Starbharat
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fanfic, Multi, so AU, starbharat is not mahabharat so this is okay...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-14 05:26:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1254502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelittaGannicus/pseuds/MelittaGannicus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karna protects Draupadi in the dice hall. Vrushali gains a sister-queen. And the results remain the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sambhaavyata

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phandomoftheowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phandomoftheowl/gifts), [Sairandhri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sairandhri/gifts).



The news comes in waves and snatches, pieces contradicting themselves, but the result remains the same. Karna brings Draupadi home after the dice game, after he has stopped Dushshasana from disrobing her, after he has asked for her from his friend. AngRaj Karna’s new queen- Draupadi of Panchal.

 

“I’ve heard she cursed the Kuru’s before Maharaj Dhritrastra granted her two boons.” Vrushali’s maid whispers as she washes her hair. “But before that Prince Duryodhan said that as slaves were the purview of the master’s, Draupadi was married to none of them.”

 

“But why did Dhritrastra allow that?” Vrushali wonders out loud.

It is Karna who gives her the answer when she asks.

 

“Panchali herself worded her requests that way.” He says, eyes fixed on the closed door that houses his new queen. “‘Free my former husbands’ she said, and ‘Give my former husbands their wealth back.’ That is all she asked.”

 

“She called them her former husbands?” Vrushali asks, aghast. To disassociate oneself with one’s husbands is unheard of. To do so is the height of adharma.

 

“They failed her.” Karna argues, eyes flashing. “She was being humiliated in that dice hall. On Shakuni’s suggestion, she was going to be stripped, and those Pandavas, those paragons of Dharma, did nothing. There is no wrong in what Draupadi did.”

 

_And it allowed you to rescue her, for her to see you as more than a sutaputra,_ Vrushali thinks. Out of love for her husband, she does not say the words.

 

“She needs to come out and eat with us.” She says instead. Various thoughts flash over Karna’s face, too fast for even Vrushali to understand. It discomfits her. For so long, she has known every aspect of Karna’s expressions. Now, barely a week after his second marriage, he has gained so many new ones it is hard to keep up.

 

“You deal with her.” He mumbles, moving out of her way to attend court. Vrushali watches him go, and then marches off to deal with her sister-queen.

 

 

XXXXXXXX

 

It seems a lifetime ago that she had been Druapadi’s attendant. _Truly,_ Vrushali thinks, _Fortune’s wheel rises and falls on whims indeed._

“You must eat with us, Sister.” She says gently. Draupadi is lying on the bed. Her face is ravaged, yet still she would command the attention of any who catch her eye. No matter what has happened, Druapadi is still the most beautiful woman in the world. Vrushali’s heart goes out to her for all the suffering she has endured because of the epitaph.

 

“Is that a request Vrushali?” Draupadi’s hoarse voice breaks the silence of the room. “Or in your voice do I hear the command of the King of Anga?”

 

“Karna did not send me here.” Vrushali replies. “If it were up to him, you would remain in this room forevermore. He has no courage to deal with you, lady of the fire.”

 

“And you do?”

 

Vrushali bows her head. “I am your friend.” She says quietly. “I have been your friend since the Pandavas first left for Indraprakash. Though only your attendant, you showed me favor that extended beyond caste. I know you Draupadi. And I have always been your friend.”

 

Draupadi’s face remains impassive, but tears gather at the corner of her eyes. “Would that you had been there.” She whispers. “A voice for me. Perhaps you would have stopped my humiliation.”

 

“You stopped it yourself.” Vrushali says gently. “You did what no other wife could have done- you saved your husbands.”

 

Draupadi smiles mirthlessly. “Funny,” She notes grimly. “Karna said the same when I was granted my boons… as he shielded me from the stares.”

 

“Shielded you from the…” Vrushali trails off. “I thought that he acted before you were being disrobed.”

 

Draupadi’s throat catches on the wounded laugh she lets out. “Oh no.” She chortles. “Dushshasana had already started disrobing me. I was spinning dizzily, praying to Krishna, when I felt the tugging stop. As I fell Karna caught me, and I saw that he had thrown Dushshasana to the ground.”

 

Vrushali sits still, waiting for Draupadi to finish her story.

 

“‘Enough.’ That is all he said. And while they gaped at him, I cursed them.” Draupadi’s smile is as thin as the edge of a sword. “And then, that blind fool of a king gave me my boons.”

 

“But why,” Vrushali pauses, but continues on, “why did you call the Pandavas your former husbands?”

 

“Because Duryodhan was right in a way.” Draupadi sits up, eyes intent upon her. “Yudhisther did gamble himself and his brothers away. As such, as a princess, I could not be the wife of slaves- _I_ was not his to gamble. And, even if I had accepted them as my husbands again, and don’t think I wasn’t considering it…they stood by and let me be humiliated. They watched me being derided, near-beaten, and did nothing. Do you think the Kaurava’s would have been content with just disrobing me?!” Draupadi continues, eyes flashing. “The other use for a _dasi_ is sexual pleasure. I saw the lust in their eyes. And so did my husbands. And yet, they did nothing. How could I go back to them after that?”

 

“Draupadi…” Vrushali whispers. But Draupadi continues, heedless of her plea.

 

“The duty of a husband is to protect his wife.” And here, Vrushali hears the tears Draupadi is suppressing. “And they failed it. Duryodhan declared me a prostitute- a woman with no husbands, _and they stood there and said nothing!_ I have no need of them. My father and brothers will avenge me when the time comes.”

 

Silence reigns across the chamber as Draupadi subsides, anger spent. Vrushali extends her hand. She is not a born royal, not a goddess, not a warrior. She is only a sutaputri, and an ordinary human. But still, this flame born queen needs her now. And Vrushali has loved Draupadi for a long time.

 

“Come,” She says now gently. “Your vengeance will not sustain you. Eat with us, and let us start on the road to find some peace.”

 

Draupadi stares at her in silence for a few moments, then takes the hand offered. Vrushali helps her stand up and embraces the stiff form.

 

“Tomorrow you will be strong.” She says. “Today let me take care of you…sister.”

 

On the side of her shoulder where Draupadi’s head rests, Vrushali finally feels her tears.

 

XXXXX

 

Months flew by, and Draupadi assimilates herself to the palace. She gains her bearing quickly, and Vrushali begins to defer to her in many matters. Karna still comes to her chambers, but avoids Draupadi’s. Vrushali can see the anguish in his face when he looks upon his second wife- joined often by shame and longing. Draupadi often looks back at him as well, but Vrushali can never decipher the expression on her face.

 

_There is no shame in loving her, in wanting her._ Vrushali wants to say to him. But she knows that isn’t quite true. Karna has never taken another wife- she is used to all his attention being focused on her. To see it turn now to another woman stings. But that was the way of Kings and Queens, and Vrushali had accepted it when she married him.

 

 

The tension comes to a head one day, with Vrushali being a silent and unnoticed witness. She has come to invite Draupadi to a carriage ride, and has seen Karna already in the room. Hiding by the side of the door, she peers in.

 

“ _I am your wife!_ ” Draupadi rages at a silent Karna. “ _Your wife_. Bought and bartered for, O’ Mighty King. Do you intend to keep me as a caged bird?”

 

“You are not caged.” Karna replies, eyes flashing. “You have the grounds, the palace. You have permission to go anywhere you wish to. How can you claim that this is a prison?”

 

“Yet I cannot go to Panchal.” Draupadi’s voice is thick with derision. “And you have not allowed my brothers to come here.”

 

“That is merely a precaution.” Karna quickly repliess. “Put in place to make sure the Pandavas do not sneak into the palace and kidnap you.”

 

“Speak truthfully. You are more worried that I shall go with them rather than my kidnapping, aren’t you? You don’t trust me.”

 

“I have no reason to trust you!” Karna snaps and it is the first time Vrushali has really seen him lose his temper with a woman. “You were the wife of my friend’s foremost enemies. What reason is there to trust?’

 

Draupadi’s voice is quiet, but the rage underneath is hard to miss. “I am you wife. I said my vows to you.”

 

“You said your vows to the Pandavas as well.” Karna’s voice is ugly, but Vrushali sees the realization in his eyes at the words he has said. Draupadi pales, then flushes, eyes snapping in anger. Karna eyes widen and Vrushali’s in her hidden corner as well, as Draupadi steps up to him, slamming her palms against his chest.

 

“ _It was not I who broke the sacred trust in a marriage. Not I who broke my vows!”_ She snarls at him. “I was a perfect wife in every way, and if you ever imply that I was to blame in any way for that atrocity that happened, I will gut you where you stand. Is that clear?”

 

Karna says nothing for a long moment- the shock has worn of; his eyes burn, melting the ice that has been between the two of them since he bought Draupadi home. Vrushali’s breath catches as Karna’s hands close around Draupadi’s wrists.

 

“Clear as glass.” He growls, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. His arms slide down her sides and Draupadi pushes him back against the wall. Vrushali can see Karna’s arms tighten around her, tight enough to make Draupadi gasp, and she yanks his hair in response. Vrushali feels rooted to the floor as she watches them. She cannot move, even if she wanted to. There is something frightening about her husband and sister wife in this moment- something primal and _hungry_ which frightens her and simultaneously, thrills her to the bone.

 

Karna slams Draupadi against the wall, hands tugging her saree up and stealing beneath them. Vrushali’s breath catches as he pulls Draupadi into his arms, trapping her between his body and the wall. Draupadi wraps her legs around his hips, reaching down to free him. Vrushali lets out the softest gasp as Draupadi and Karna both cry out when he pushes into her. Karna pauses at the cry, staring at Draupadi. She curves one hand behind his neck and presses their foreheads together, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. When he starts to move, Vrushali sees Draupadi close her eyes and breathe him in.

 

“Draupadi.” Karna murmurs against her mouth. Vrushali has never heard him sound so tormented, as if he is being torn in two and being reborn at the same time. The tone of his voice gives her the strength to move, and she flees the room, her last glimpse of them being Karna hiking up Draupadi knees and her pleasured cry in response.

 

XXXX

 

Things change after that. Draupadi walks around with Karna’s fingerprints on her shoulders and arms, quiet satisfaction in each step. The maids gossip about their King’s hunger for his second queen. Karna’s visits to her room decrease, though he is attentive in every other way. Vrushali wonders if he only has room for one in his bed.

 

And in his heart.

 

She is sitting by the river, watching her younger sons play, when Draupadi comes to her. Alerted by the scent of lotuses, Vrushali smiles at the other woman. She is not angry, not really. Hurt, yes, that they seem to have forgotten her, but not angry. Vrushali is wiser than that. What has anger ever gotten a person? And Vrushali is happy to see Draupadi…not happy perhaps, but more peaceful. She knows no one deserves love and peace more than the woman in front of her, who has been cursed by so many people for their own weaknesses and follies.

 

Draupadi smiles at her, motions the attendants to fall back and sits beside her. Vrushali makes way for her, peace filling her at the look on that lovely face.

 

“It is a lovely day.” Draupadi says, looking out towards the river. Vrushali nods, laughing at the splashes her youngest is making. She turns to Draupadi, and is startled by the sudden melancholy in her eyes. Then she realizes.

 

“You miss your sons.”

 

Draupadi startles, then nods. “I worry about them. About what they think of me…of this situation.”

 

“If they have an ounce of sense they will realize you were not to blame.” Vrushali replies. “Have you talked to Karna about them?”

 

“Not yet.” Draupadi says. She looks at Vrushali shyly-! “I don’t really know how to speak with him. There is too much history between us, painful and seething.”

 

Vrushali does not hesitate. Placing a hand on Draupadi’s, she says “I will speak with him.”

Draupadi looks at her in surprise. “You are far better than I.” She replies softly. “I am not so magnanimous.”

Vrushali shakes her head. “You are my sister.” An oft-repeated frain, but for the first time, Draupadi looks like she believes. “I will speak to him.”

 

Silence surrounds them as they look at the boys playing. After a few moments, Draupadi breaks it.

 

“I told him never to lie to me.” Vrushali arches an eyebrow and Draupadi smiles ironically. “Never hide your intentions and never lie. And I, in turn, shall never leave.”

 

Vrushali’s hand drifts to Draupadi’s cheek, an echo of a touch bestowed so long ago. Draupadi cups the hand, pressing her cheek into the palm. The rest of the day is spent in content silence.

 

XXXXXX

 

Karna leaves for a brief visit to Hastinpur. Draupadi’s face twists in derision but she says nothing. As he is about to depart, he pauses, looking at her in concern.

 

“I have arranged something for you.” Karna says, looking at Vrushali who nods at him in response. It is she who had made the suggestion, and Karna had implemented it with her gently urging. Draupadi cocks her head in question, and he presses gentle fingers to her cheeks. “I think you will like it.” Is all he says, getting onto his chariot and leaving.

 

Two days later Vasudev Krishna visits, with the youngest of Draupadi’s sons. Her cries of delight echo throughout the palace, and Vrushali spares no expense in making sure Krishna and the Upandavas are feted in a manner befitting them. Druapadi’s joy is a delight to see, and Krishna is as beautiful and mysterious as Karna had told her. The Upandavas are cautious at first, but their joy at seeing their mother wipes away the warnings given to them by their elders.

 

Draupadi asks about her father and brothers. Notably she does not ask about her former husbands. Krishna and the Upandavas stay for a few days, their leaving coinciding with Karna’s return. Krishna and Karna are respectful and solicitous, and the Upandavas look upon the man who has become their mother’s husband with mixed feelings. When they leave, Vrushali see’s Karna is dazzled by the brilliant smile Draupadi bestows upon him.

 

“ _Arya_ ,” She says, “Thank you for the gift.” Karna turns a dull shade of red, and motions to Vrushali. Draupadi turns to her, surprise lighting her features. Vrushali laughs and hugs her, happiness infusing her being. This is what brings her joy. Not battle, not glory, not vanity. Being able to help and bring happiness to the ones she loves.

 

XXXXXXX

 

That night, Vrushali and Draupadi and in the latter’s rooms, playing a game of chess. Draupadi is an aggressive player, and if Vrushali plans well, her sister-queen’s stratagems often fall to pieces due to her impatience. Karna is the opposite. He plays himself rather than her, and doubts himself so much at times that his ploys fall apart. Needless to say, Vrushali, who is a happy medium, usually wins all games.

 

Silence permeates the room, broken as Karna enters. Both Vrushali and Draupadi rise, and Karna stops, surprised to see the former. Vrushali smiles at him, ignoring the pang in her heart and makes to leave. Draupadi catches her hand, stilling her advance.

 

“Stay,” She whispers, eyes lowered for the first time since Vrushali has seen her. “You are responsible for giving the both of us so much happiness. Stay.”

 

“It is adharm.” Vrushali protests as Karna comes up to both of them. Draupadi huffs, tugging him closer as well.

 

“I was married to five men. Karna serves the biggest adharmi’s in the world.” Karna makes to protest, but silences himself. “This is not adharm. This is…choosing happiness.”

 

Vrushali recalls the long period of time Krishna had spent with Draupadi, and wonders what he had said to her. But her thoughts halt as Draupadi tugs her close, catching her mouth in a soft kiss. She hears Karna’s sharp intake of breath, but her husband does not leave the room. The kiss leaves her dizzy, hunger racing through the body. Suddenly, Vrushali understands Karna’s fascination, his obsession. Draupadi is a flame- burning might be imminent, but the warmth, beauty, and sensuality she exudes is impossible to resist.

 

And she does not.

 

Karna steps closer. Vrushali watches as Draupadi moves to him. Karna swallows as she traces his hairline with a thumb. Her eyes move all over Karna’s face, and any lingering doubts Vrushali has over Draupadi missing him while he was gone are erased. Draupadi moves towards her again, pressing a hungry kiss to her mouth. Vrushali moans, hands slipping into her hair. Karna turns her head and presses another kiss to her lips, and Vrushali now slips one hand over his arm, tugging him closer.

 

Karna turns to Draupadi, kissing her fiercely, and Draupadi moans in a way that starts a squirming pressure in the pit of Vrushali’s stomach. She see’s Draupadi jerk against Karna as he presses their hips together, kissing him intensely as he near tears her saree of her. She gasps against him, moving away and laughing as she turns now to Vrushali. The scent of lotuses surround her as Draupadi gently removes her cloths, bearing her down onto the bed. Halfway across the room, Karna holds himself up, dazed. His mouth is wet and swollen. There is something in his eyes as he looks upon them- his wives, interviewed together on the bed. Something desperate, grateful and possessive all at once.

 

The night passes, and in the near-morning Vrushali wakes to see Karna and Draupadi at her side. Karna is still asleep, and Draupadi’s gaze lingers over his face, more open that it ever is when he is awake. Her gaze meets Vrushali’s and she gives her an open smile. Smiling back, Vrushali moves and kisses her.

XXXXX

 

It becomes their new reality- the three of them. Sometimes it is Vrushali and Karna, sometimes it is Karna and Draupadi. And sometimes, it is Draupadi and Vrushali, especially when Karna visits Hastinapur. But more often, than not, it is the three of them.

 

Vrushali cannot articulate how grateful she is. To have Draupadi and Karna. To have Karna’s understanding of the feelings she and Draupadi share. One night as they lay tangled together, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever have the words to tell him, but as his mouth opens hotly under hers, she thinks _I have this._

Vrushali feels Draupadi sink down next to them, her lips trailing a scorching line down the side of Vrushali’s neck while she tangled a hand in Karna’s hair. Draupadi touched them like she owned them, and Vrushali thought she did. In a now natural movment, Karna turned from her mouth to Draupadi’s, and she pulled him to her side, tight and possessive.

 

It felt so natural that when Karna turned all his attention to Draupadi, when she moaned and locked her legs around his back, Vrushali could muster only the tiniest twinge of resentment. She always faded into the background when the two of them were together, she reminded herself, but she never disappeared. That was the most important thing of all.

 

XXXXX

 

Two years after the marriage, Draupadi becomes pregnant. She swells and glows, radiant in her pregnancy. She is the sun at the palace, and Karna, Vrushali and the attendants revolve around her.

 

It is on a hot summer day that Karna’s seventh son is born. Karna calls him Vrishuketu. Presents are sent from all over Aryavarth. Vasudev Krishna sends a beautiful flute. Duryodhan a magnificent cradle. And tucked among the gifts is a small bracelet for the boys arm- an ordinary gift, but from the Pandav queen, Kunti. Vrushali raises an eye brow, but on Draupadi’s shrug, slips the bracelet on Vrishuketu’s arm. The baby gurgles in delight. Beautiful and boisterous, he is the apple of everyone’s eye.

The years that pass are the happiest in Vrushali’s life.

 

Of course they do not last.

 

XXXXX

 

Vrishuketu is three years old, and Druapadi has been in their life for five years when the Pandavas declare war. Duryodhan has tested them one too many times, and the final provocation- the attempted kidnapping of Queen Kunti, is the last straw. The Pandavas declare war, and in a surprise move, Panchal moves to support them.

 

“They say they are fighting on behalf on my son’s.” Draupadi says impassively. Vrishuketu is playing at her feet, moving the horses up and down as he chortles. “But the truth is that my father would never have fought on the same side as Dhrona.”

 

“Karna will not leave Duryodhan’s side.” Vrishali replies, fists clenched at her side. “He holds that vow above his life, above his honor. He won’t leave.”

 

Draupadi’s eyes shine, a familiar gleam that chills Vrushali. “Then my curse comes true.” She says softly. “For my humiliation, the Kuru’s will burn to the ground.”

 

“What of our husband Draupadi?” Vrushali pleads. “What of him?” Draupadi’s smile fades, and she looks tired all of a sudden. She picks her son up and cuddles him, smiling at his giggles.

 

“Fate turns its wheel.” Draupadi says softly. “And we can do nothing Vrushali. Krishna used to tell me the same thing. Say not ‘what can be’ but ‘what will be’. All we can do is carry this forward to the end. This is what is meant to happen. This is what we were born for.”

 

“You and Karna talk of grand destinies and fate.” Vrushali replies bitterly. “And neither of you pay attention to the ordinary souls that will be left to suffer.”

  
Draupadi does not reply. Vrushali leaves, heart leaden in her chest.

 

XXXXXX

 

Her entireties to Karna result in nothing. By the time of his and her son’s departure, Vrushali has lost so much weight she looks like a gaunt specter. Her farewell to him is bitter and tearful. She does not see his and Draupadi’s goodbye. 

 

XXXXXX

 

The war lasts for eighteen days. At the end of it, the death cries of millions taint the ear. Vrushali loses her husband and all her sons. The only son left to Draupadi is Vishuketu. Both of them make their way to the battlefield. Eyes dry, hearts shriveled they make their way across the corpses. Vrushali weeps in front of her dead sons, and Draupadi pauses at Karna’s corpse.

 

“Panchali.” The voice makes Vrushali turn. The pandavas are before her, each with devastation written across their faces. The bodies of Draupadi’s sons are piled on the pyres behind them, but Vrushali cannot find it in her heart to feel pity. She feels dead, like a corpse that is just waiting to be lit.

 

She wants to watch them burn.

 

“So now you know.” Vasudev Krishna’s voice breaks into her thoughts. Vrushali turns to her, confusion rampant in her mind. Draupadi’s shoulders move lightly, as if she does not even have the energy to shrug.

 

“You knew, Vasudev?” Arjuna’s voice is bleak. Krishna’s returning smile is equally sad.

 

“I told him, Parth. And he chose his path. Do not weep for him, O’ greatest of the Bharatas. Karna died valiantly, and his legend will live on. He is immortal.”

 

“Small comfort to those left behind.” Vrushali shouts. Draupadi’s gaze has now moved to her dead sons, and her eyes are dead. Vrushali wants to scream her rage to the heavens, to weep her desolation. But what good will it do? Draupadi needs her right now. Vrishuketu needs her.

 

“He was our brother.” Yudhisther chokes out, and Vrushali swoons. Bheem catches her and she pushes him away, half-mad laughter ringing out.

 

“What madness is this?” She cries. “My Karna was the son of Kunti? Who was his father?!”

 

“The sun.” Draupadi replies, eyes fixed upward. Vrushali follows her gaze. The sun burns low, as if in mourning. “When I rejected Karna he near burned us all.” She says mechanically, “Kunti had the boon of the gods. It was the sun.”

 

“Yes.” Krishna’s voice is gentle. “Karna is the son of Kunti and the Sun God. The oldest Pandava. Yet he chose to honor his obligations to Duryodhan.”

 

“Enough.” Bitterness burns in every aspect of Draupadi. “Krishna you are my friend, but you have destroyed all that I love. I am not the only one to suffer, I know, but your desire to wipe the world of adharm has cost me all I hold dear.”

 

“Gandhari has already cursed my clan, dear one.” Krishna says softly. “As the Kuru’s have perished, so shall the Yadu’s. Will you too curse me?”

 

“May you perish with your clan, so you do not have to feel what I do.” Draupadi says as her reply. The Pandavas and Vrushali gasp, but Krishna’s eyes are peaceful. Draupadi too looks at peace, eyes turning to Karna again. “It will all end soon enough. The things you told me in confidence have come to pass. The task I was born for is done.”

 

“Yes.” Krishna says softly. “It is.”

 

XXXXXXXX

 

“Do you remember what you told me once? That you loved me? That I was your sister?” Draupadi asks as the pyres are to be lit. Vrishuketu is inconsolable, sobbing in Vrushali’s arms. His mother had refused to hold him, and was standing close to Karna’s pyre. The heat seemed not to bother her.

 

“Yes.” Vrushali said wearily. The past few days had drained her and left her numb. Holding the child was taking all her strength.

 

“He will grow strong.” Draupadi said softly. “He will be the foremost of all Kuru’s. My son and Karna’s will be the last to know the astras. The world will know his name. Promise me.”

 

Vrushali’s head aches and throbs. She is not very aware of what is going on. That is the only reason Draupadi’s words do not alarm him. She nods, holding the struggling Vrishuketu. In the next moment her lasstitude vanishes as Draupadi leaps onto Karna’s fire. Vrushali’s screams mingle with Vrishuketu’s and the Pandavas try in vain to save their former wife.

 

Draupadi dies as she is born- engulfed in flames, a mysterious smile on her face.

 

XXXXXX

 

Vrushali lives. She has no grand destiny to fulfill, no major role to play. She puts her energy into raising Vrishuketu, who becomes the King of Panchal. She firmly refuses all ties to Hastinapur, though she allows the child to be tutored by his doting uncles.

 

At night, she sits by the riverside, reminiscing about her life with Draupadi and Karna. She does not give into despair, and her feelings fade as time goes on. Vrushali does not allow the tragedy to define her, though it has left its mark,

 

But she lives, and she raises her son. She makes sure Draupadi and Karna’s son becomes one of the greatest warriors in the land.

 

That is her triumph.

 

And in the end, it is enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based solely on Star Plus's Mahabharat, which is so off the beaten path that there is no guilt in penning this.


End file.
